Bgooprog
have read Tom Kelley's books and am well aware of David Kelley's leadership of IDEO and the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design ("d.school") at Stanford University. Individually, each is among the most influential and highly regarded authorities on creative and innovative thinking. What we have in this volume is a unique and compelling collaboration on information, insights, and counsel that can help their reader to "unleash the creative potential within." They insist -- and I agree -- that literally anyone can live a more creative life, at work and elsewhere, in all situations in which they have problems to solve, questions to answer, goals to set, tasks to complete, and relationships to nourish. The Kelleys challenge all manner of misconceptions, such as the common refrain "I'm just not creative." In fact, they suggest, "As brothers who have worked together for thirty years at the forefront of innovation, we have come to see this set of misconceptions as 'the creativity myth.' It is a myth that far too many people share. This book is about the opposite of that myth. It is about what we call 'creative confidence.' And at its foundation is the belief that we are italics all italics creative...Creative confidence is a way of seeing that potential and your place in the world more clearly, unclouded by anxiety and doubt. We hope you'll join us on our quest to embrace creative confidence in our lives. Together, we can all make the world a better place." Incremental innovation may sometimes be the most effective way to improve one or more aspects of one's life as well as of a company. For example, in 2004, a leadership team led by Jørgen Vig Knudstorp transformed LEGO - "brick by brick" - into one of the world's most innovative as well as most profitable and fastest growing toy companies. These are among the dozens of business subjects and issues of special interest and value to me, also listed to indicate the scope of the Kelleys' coverage. o Creativity Now (Pages 7-10) o Three Key Factors to Balance (23-26) o Design-Driven Innovation (26-28) o Nurturing Creative Thinkers, and A Growth State of Mind (32-36) o The Failure Paradox, and Designing for Courage (44-49) o Permission to Fail (53-57) o Drawing Confidence (63-67) o Cultivate a Creative Spark (78-81) o Empathize with Your End User (89-92) o Do Observations in the Field (93-98) o Reframe Challenges (103-105) o Cultivate Creative Serendipity (109-111) o The "Do Something" Mindset: Live in the Active Voice (119-122) o Experiment to Learn (134-136) o Find Your Sweet Spot (165-167) o Strategies to Get Started With (253-260) Here are three of several reasons why I think this is Tom Kelley's most valuable book...thus far...and why I think his collaboration with David Kelley achieves a level of excellence that neither brother could (probably) have achieved alone. First, like world-class musicians in a jazz band, they are playing the same song (let's say "All Blues" with Miles Davis) but with different instruments and with improvisation that enriches rather than detracts from the pure quality of the group's sound. The Kelleys are masters of carefully nurtured spontaneity. Also, they are passionate advocates, indeed evangelists about helping as many people as possible to think innovatively about how they can italics live italics more innovatively. The Kelleys know that developing that mindset will require courage to overcome significant -- albeit self-generated -- fear. That is why the ten strategies they recommend near the conclusion of the book take human nature (for better or worse) into full account. Although heaven knows the disruptive innovations for which IDEO is renowned are exciting, the reality is that most people have convinced themselves that they are incapable of generating them, even when in collaboration with others. They lack courage because they lack confidence. Finally, the Kelleys are committed to being eager and enthusiastic collaborators with their readers as well as with their students, their colleagues and their clients. To those plagued by self-doubts, struggling with self-imposed limits, they have an emotional intelligence that provides a reassurance, anchored in reality rather than delusional PMA, that people really can believe in what is possible for them. First, they have to imagine it and then summon the courage to believe they can achieve it. Any journey of personal discovery is necessarily perilous. Tom Kelley and David Kelley are ideal companions for that journey. -- orse Whisperer of innovation and brother Tom is the storyteller. Together they’ve written a book that’s unique in that it celebrates how nearly anyone can tap into a creative vein. Humility, openness and informed faith are part of the IDEO method, and David and Tom show that with empathy and a design driven approach the fear that reigns us in can be replaced by a fresh can-do spirit. And yes, I know both Kelleys well because I co-authored the Art of Innovation and Ten Faces of Innovation with Tom. Creative Confidence is a new slant on this critical subject. It will be huge for managers and companies that have been intimidated by mega Silicon Valley success stories because it shows how small, perceptive changes can deliver big results by anyone in any industry. It's a welcome break from the reams of books focusing on Internet titans and overnight billionaires. It's the kind of book that just might get you to take the first critical step toward your breakthrough. -- more than an interesting read - it is a call to action. Before being exposed to the IDEO approach to innovation, I would never consider myself as particularly creative or entrepreneurial, but after understanding creativity as something intrinsically human, and a muscle that can be trained, I experienced first hand what a structured approach to innovation could do for my own social business. The Kelley brothers' refreshing take on creativity kills the myths of what it means to be innovative, and sees creativity as something that simply needs the right channels through which to be unleashed. This book is a much needed confidence boost that awakens the creative entrepreneur within us all. -- IDEO publishes a book or some other sort of media, it is important to take attention. IDEO is one of the companies spearheading the revolution to change traditional business models by focusing on human-centered design. IDEO has been around since 1991 but has been thinking this way since its inception and thus is way ahead of the curve. Their approach to human-centered design has shown multiple times to be one of the surefire ways to guarantee customer loyalty and longevity. In Creative Confidence David and Tom show ways for both consumer and creator to keep their humanity in an otherwise leviathan capitalistic system. The end result is a better product and a more enjoyable time creating the product. The Kelley brothers start off the book offering you a dose of confidence right off the bat by saying "everyone is creative". Yes, fair enough, right? People designated as "creatives" don't have a monopoly on creativity and creativity isn't genetically inbred. It can be learned. Yes, some people will have a greater inclination towards creative thought processes and ideas than others but that does not defeat the fact that creativity can still be exercised and strengthened like a muscle. The book gives a renewed sense of optimism to anyone wishing that they could come up with alternative solutions to problems rather than just copy/pasting from preexisting ideas. Most creative and innovative people fail quite a bit in their lives, its just that their mammoth successes tend to otherwise overshadow many months/years of frustration in the studio/lab. Great book, I definitely recommend it to anyone wishing to approach their work in a new, more optimistic light and mindset. Refreshing and eye-opening book